Each year, the around the holiday timeframes, is an opportunity for discounts and themed sessions. This year, Lori J Photography of Denver will be offering Valentines Mini Sessions. Sunday, January 25th, 2014 will be our Valentines Mini Sessions in a Denver Park (location will be provided to participants). Currently there are two open spots left, 9:30am and 10:00 am. Moms, this is a great way to take care of those classroom Valentines Day cards for your kiddos. So, snag your spot! Email info@lorijphotography.com or call 303-241-3738

The Details:

When: Sunday January 25th

Where: A Denver Park (Location provided to participants)

Cost: $99

Who: The whole family, just the two of you, or for the kiddos.

What you get: The photography talent, a what to wear guide, a 20 minute mini session in an outdoor location, a 5×7 print and 24 classroom valentines (for the kiddos) OR a Facebook Timeline Cover. Additional digitals and other fabulous home decor items available as add ons to your Mini session.

Why: Because you want to capture every memory of your child, family, and/or relationship. Why not cross this off your to-do list. Besides, how long has it been since you got your photograph taken by a professional??

My husband and I went to Paris, France this year between visiting family in Europe. This is one of our favorite cities! I wanted to buy a piece of art while we were there. However, there just isn’t enough time to shop and experience. I got on Pinterest and started looking around at images of Paris so that we hit all of the hot spots that locals love. I came across the work of Stacy Reeves of L’amour de Paris (English speakers hint: There no pronunciation of the S in Paris). I was immediately taken away by her work! A photography session was perfect, it would be our piece of art recording our experience in Paris. I was really excited for our session and pleased to know that she was available the dates we were in Paris. I wanted to go for a modern look. So, I consulted with jewelry designer Jerry Moran of Criffin Desings to get the perfect look. The modern, sleek designs fit the theme of our session and are made milary aircraft material, how is that for historical inclusion?

As a wedding and portrait photographer, I am always behind the camera. Not to mention when I go on vacation. I am rarely in front of the camera and get photos taken. The summers are always busy with my photography that there is little time for my own family session. Honestly, being at my own photography session gives a perspective on what it is like for my clients to be on the other side of the camera. But, after the first few minutes, I was just fine and having fun with my husband. Afterall, we were in Paris getting photos in front of the Le Tour Eiffel (aka The Eiffel Tower). After walking around the city all night, we were a bit tired and definitely did not go to bed early for our early morning session. I got up at 5am to fix my hair, on the Metro ride to our location, I could feel the waves in my hair coming back. I slipped on my Criffin designs jewlery and we started our session. And it was fun! Stacy captured exactly what we wanted. Take a look at our session.

We are pleased to be on the ballot for nomination in the catagory of Best Wedding Photographer, 2014 on Denver’s A-List. Last year, Lori J Photography placed in the top 20. This year we are completing for the top 10!

We know that voting causes a little frustration, especially because most of you are voting from your phones and you have to enter your date of birth and email. Here are a few tips to help it go smoothly.

1. Click the A-List badge below

2. Click the big Yellow, Vote button, you will be directed to sign in and/or login (if you voted last year).

3. Login or Sign up, you don’t have to enter your real DOB if you are concerned about privacy, its just to ensure you aren’t young and are eligible to vote.

4. Cast your vote and leave a comment about our work.

5. If you want to monitor what goes to your email….Go into Setting and adjust the info you want to get, if nothing, click the box DO NOT CONTACT ME. You will get no emails or updates.

That’s it!

Reward! As part of your nomination for us. We are offering to enter each of your names into a random drawing for a FREE 1 hour photo session with LJP, thats a $225 Value! To enter, you must cast your vote on the Denver A-List for Lori J Photography, AND post in the comments on this blog post or on our Facebook fan page, “VOTED”. This enters you in the drawing. The winer will be annouced after August 25th, when Denver A-List winners are annouced. Last Day to enter is August 17th, Best of Luck and THANK YOU for your support and votes!

*One entry to the contest per person, one winner, free session fee covers 1 hour photo session (time only), vote must be for LJP and posting of “Voted” must be on blog, LJP fanpage, or LJP posting. If contest winner declines, a new random winner will be selected. No substitutions.

Ah, the family photography session. You pick your photographer, you pick your outfits, and you rush around the house to look perfect for your shoot. You arrive ontime and get started, the kids just aren’t smiling as much as they do at home with your camera. They want to squirm around and run away. Parents often get stressed out when their kids aren’t doing what they imagined at the photo session. Relax, its ok! As a photographer, I am prepared for your children to absolutly hate my camera. As a result, I end up doing a bunch of funny stuff behind the camera to get their attention. The person worried about the childrens behavior the most is Mom and the person who gets frustrated the most is Dad. So relax!

As a Lifestyle photographer, I want you and your family to interact, so play, laugh have fun, ride in the wagon, swing on the swings, read a book, run around, take a walk, or do whatever it is that you do on a normal basis to have fun with your kids. Portraits are about capturing and embracing personality. If you want those super posed school photos with the backdrop, you buy them. Lets face it, most families find a professional photographer because they want to see beautiful, colorful, interactive images on their wall.

Here are a few tips for preparing your family for your photography session. This post is meant to help you be prepared and just have fun as a family. In the end you will be thankful that you took a few extra minutes to prepare so that you can relax.

1. Scheduling-Schedule your session with your photographer based on the best time of day that your kids are the most pleaseant for you. This may be after a meal, after a nap, after bathtime, you know your kids best.

2. Bring snacks-Kids get worn out quicker than us adults. An hour is a long time in kid world. Let them recharge with a few bites of food. Pack some snacks for you too, just in case you forgot to eat. Plus all of that running around getting ready, probably wore you out more than you thought.

3. Plan-Bring an extra set of clothes for kiddos, make sure your bag is packed, give yourself 10 extra minutes, and know where you are going. Arrive before the session if possible. You want to get a parking spot and get the kids out of the car and acclimated to the shoot location.

4. Comforts- Bring favorite toys and a few other comforts from home to help the kids feel like they aren’t completely in a foreign place. At least they have their favorite item. These can also be used as an interactive peice that I can use as the photographer to interacte with your kids.

5. Let go- Let your expectations go out the door and just interact with your family. Of course times may come up where you do need to redirect the kids, get help from your partner and be specific about what is needed. If you need me as the photographer to back off for a few minutes and let the kids play. Just say it, it will make for cute interactive photographs. Besides the kids can run around and Mom and Dad can get a few shots.

Did you find this helpful? do you have any other suggestions? Maybe you have more suggestions for parents? Please leave your comment below.

I enjoy the families that I work with, especially when I get to know them and see them year after year. The C Family has been part of Lori J Photography for a long time. I am pleased that I have had the opportunity to photograph not only their wedding, but also birthday portraits, newborn portraits, and the yearly session filled with laughter and funny moments they share as a family of four.

For their session, we set out early on a Saturday morning to Eastman Park in Windsor, CO. This year the photo session was a Mickey Mouse themed session for their little guy’s birthday (inspired by Pinterest browsing from Mom.) Of course, the little guy wasn’t having anything to do with the camera. We got tricky playing peek-a-boo with an umbrella and got some awesome shots with big smiles. The big sister was quite the little ham of the day, naturally posing in front of the camera. About 4 years ago, she was just as shy and silly just like her little brother. Of course Mom and Dad are still are as cute as ever. Gotta love high school sweethearts!

Family perks: Laughing, having fun, teaming up together, holding hands, and tickle time

After-all, life is about having fun and enjoying the little moments! Sometimes we have to push aside busy schedules and the negativity received from others to hone in on what we find important.

Hats off! You make it look so easy. Let these photos preserve your memories and serve as a reminder of the positive efforts you have for your relationship and your family.

We are pleased to announce that we were featured on the blog of Denver Wedding Planner Lisabeth Events! Lisa has been featured on our blog after started up her planning business. Lets face it ladies, the last thing you want to do on your wedding day is pay for a wedding planner, but then you would miss out on all of the good tips, tricks, and unique vendor’s Lisa has to offer.

One of those things are tips and tricks on how to select a photographer. Here is the link to her blog in which she has featured Lori J Photography’s work. We are pleased to offer Lisabeth Events planning services in our Platinum Photography Packages.

As a photographer, I think that Lisa offers a great suggestions for finding the perfect photographer for your big day. I might add to check out the contract details and make sure your photographer has a back up photographer and is insured, and isn’t just a “Fauxtographer”. Additionally, as much as you want to save money…your memories are to be treasured and left to a professional whose style caught your eye from the beginning, not just because the $$$’s.

Breaking the mold. That seems to be the new trend these days with professional headshots. Breaking the mold of the traditional corporate headshot. Instead of the plan backdrop, business owners and professionals are turning towards a new style of photography referred to as lifestyle. This style shows more of your personality and exhibits the face of your business or the style of you management. If you are considering venturing into a new style of headshots, consider a few things to see if breaking the mold is for you.

Tips to help you pick your style for your photography session

1. What do you want to convey to your clients? – Consider the type of services you offer. Regardless of what you offer, your customers want to see who they are working with. Consider your ideal clients and what message you are trying to send, is it helpful neighborhood repairs, trendy design consultant, caring therapist, artistic graphic artist, corporate manager with a creative side, or experienced painter. Whatever your title or business venture, you convey a message to attract clients for your business.

2. What is your personality? Nature or Urban? These two ideals may sound like they have nothing to do with making a good photograph. But being in your element helps you relax and it also helps bring your personality into your photography session and into your images. I am sure you don’t want to look back on your images and say, “That day was uncomfortable”. Being in a comfortable setting is also about the message you want to convey to the clients serve or that your product serves.

3. Find the photographer that is right for you- If you are looking for headshots that are lifestyle, fun, urban, classy, chic… then find a photographer that can help you capture these elements. Ask questions, state what you want, look at their work and their personality.

4. Variety Variations in attire at your photography session allows you to have timeless looks. This permits you rotating your images out in a few months or years on your social media profiles, professional publications, website, email footer, and brochures. This variation also protects your investment, giving you more bang for your buck.

5. Invest- Photography is a luxury and can be expensive. Headshots range from $500-$1,000 in the Denver Area and with only a handful of digital negatives. So, don’t pick a photographer based on price only. You can find many photographers on Craigslist and Groupon but just because you got a good deal…doesn’t mean you will like what you see. You will want to create a Professional Look, not a look that says, “My friend took these photos”. So consult a professional.

Best of luck! Remember, you are the face of your business and headshots are the first imagery to captivate your audience.

Like what you see on my page? Contact me to schedule your headshot session

The holidays are full of new engagements, so, tis the season for wedding planning. Lori J Photography has had the pleasure of teaming up with Lisa Dorenfeld of Lisabeth Events to start off the 2014 year. We are super excited!!! I also had the pleasure of photographing Lisa’s professional portraits for the face of Lisabeth Events.

As a photographer, I hear a lot of reasons why folks wished the had a wedding planner for their wedding. Ladies often say they though it would be too expensive, its really not! I, myself am one of those brides who wished I had a wedding planner. The “day of” messes are bound to happend and it is fabulous to have a “go to person” to send a text or call to have them handle things for you. Your wedding day should be relaxing and spending time soaking in the joy and the company of your friends and family, NOT running around, setting up, and worrying, that doesn’t sound fun at all.

Working with a wedding planner can also save you big bucks! When vendors team up together, you often get preferred pricing. Vendors love working with each other and when they get to, the day runs smoother and you get to kick back and enjoy the financial perks, and the details of your wedding day. To introduce this idea of wedding planning, Lisa will be talking a little about wedding planning.

Hello! My name is Lisa Dorenfeld. I am a Colorado native and love living in the most beautiful state. I have always been very organized and the love of helping friends put together weddings/events has ignited my passion to become an event planner.

I met my husband at Colorado State University and we have been together for 6 years. I am also a newly wed, so I know what it feels like to plan a wedding and how it feels to be overwhelmed by all the choices that a bride faces. That is why is it so helpful to have a planner, we are able to take away and carry some of the burden you feel to make decisions alone as a bride. I have also experienced a wedding without a planner, and due to Murphy’s Law, things are bound to go wrong. With a planner you are ensuring that no matter what happens on your special day that you will be able to relax and enjoy your family/friends and most importantly your soon to be husband! No one wants to work hard on putting together their perfect day to see things fall apart because you can’t watch over all of the staff to make sure things are going off without a hitch. The last thing you want to be doing on your wedding day is micromanaging people you don’t know, just to be stressed out as you walk down the aisle. I am there to ensure that you can fully enjoy your day in the spotlight.

Tips-

I tell brides to pick their date first. If they have a specific venue that they have always wanted, they need to make sure they are a little flexible depending on the time of year and how busy that venue tends to be. Naturally, booking the venue is usually the next best step, this will ease their mind about how to decorate, pick their dress, and how many guests they are able to invite. And of course the dress is another big step after getting engaged. Depending on where they buy the dress, they might have to wait 6-9 months to get that dress in, and then there are usually alterations. So always keep in mind how much time you have so you can get that dream dress.

My absolute favorite thing about weddings is when the officiant announces the bride and groom as husband and wife. It is amazing to see the look on their faces, it is always pure love and joy. It always brings a warmth to my heart and it is in that moment that you see how much they truly love each other.

It is always good in the wedding industry to find vendors that know each other and have a professional relationship established. They are able to communicate efficiently and we know how each other work, creating a better work environment in which we can do our jobs to our best abilities. We are able to work as a well oiled machine and being familiar with who we are working with can create an amazing wedding!

I love the winter and I love to showcase these two love birds. Addionally, hot cocoa is one of the little things in life that get me excited. Well I have to admit, I have a long list of little things that I get excited about, but hot cocoa is one of them! Bundle up with your cutie(Sweetheart, kiddos, family, friend, dogs, or just your roommates) in the Colorado winter. Enjoy the moments indoors and be mindful of the connections you have with others to create your memories for a lifetime.~Lori

Lori J Photography will be offering an intro photography course, SNAP HAPPY, starting January 26th, 2014 @12pm-1:30pm. Snap Happy is an introductory photography course to help you take better photos. Whether you are an iphone picture person, have a little point and shoot camera that you use on your vacations, or got a new camera for Christmas, you can learn how to get better pictures.

You don’t need a fancy camera to take this course. This course is designed to help you get better photos no matter what camera you are using, better light, better angles, and better posing. So the next time you whip out your camera on vacation or in your home, you know you are getting the best shot to record your memories. Or when your baby does the cutest things when no one else is around to see, you will get the best results from your photo.

The January 26th, 2014, course will be taught online in webinar format, so you can log in from the the comfort of your home, learn, ask questions, and walk away knowing how to create pics that you are happy with! Spaces are limited to 20 people. So call 303-241-3738 to reserve your space today or email lorijphotography@gmail.comIntroductory pricing- is $75 per person. As part of the course you get a digital package delivered to your inbox containing a cheat sheet of tips to use after the course and some other goodies to help you get better snaps.

Fellas, this makes a great surprise gift, especially if you got your lady a camera this past Christmas!

*This course is NOT to learn how to become a photographer, start a photography business, and will NOT teach you how to use the manual or advanced settings on your camera.